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2 sneets .sheet l' R. P. DAGGETT. Safety Attachment for Breach Loading Guns. YNo. 230,693. Patented Aug.. 3,1880.

WITNESEEE INVITH m f I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. P. DAGGETT, Safety Attachment for Breach Loading Guns.

No. 230,693. Patented Aug. 3,1880.

N. PETERS. PHOTD-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

ROBERT DAGGETT, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR BREECH-LOADING GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 230,693, dated August 3, 1880.

Application filed February 25, 1880.

To all whom it may concern: i

Beit known that I, ROBERT P. DAGGETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of lndiana, have invented a new and useful Safety Attachmentfor Breech-Loading Guns, ofwhich the following-is a specification.

My invention relates to a safety attachment for breech-loading guns that are fired off by a cap placed in the end of a cart-ridge, of which it forms a part.

Heretofore a safetylock has been used with a pin working in a vertical slot in the breech ofthe gun. Said pin had flanges at top to work between the hammer and the needle. While in that position it is exposed and liable to be bent or broken. The pin is worked by the triggers of the gun only, and so affords no protection against the accidental explosion of the gun while the hammer is up, should thc triggers be moved. This mechanism necessitates a complete safety attachment for each barrel in a double-barrel gun.

In my device the guard is entirely concealed in a cap at the end of the breech of the gun. can be secured and locked open or shut at pleasure, cannot bebroken or bent while in position, is worked by a lever entirely independent of the mechanism used in firing the gun, and, beingindependent of the mechanism of the gun, it requires but one safety attachment for a two-barrel gun.

The object of my invention is to prevent the needle striking the cap in the cartridge eX- cept when desired by the person using the gun.

The invention consists in the arrangement of a head-piece screwed to the face of the breech of the `gun, between it and the barrel. In said head-piece there are holes opposite the ones in the breech of the gun, through vwhich the needles must pass when struck by the hammers. The needles must be driven through theholes in the breech of the gun and the holes opposite them in the head-piece before they can strike the cap in the cartridge. The back side of this head-piece is countersnnk to admit of a dropvhich is hung to the fore end of a lever by an eye. On the under side of the drop, directly under the eye, there is a guide, so that the drop may be raised and lowered without catching on or even touching the sides.

The lever that operates the drop passes through the breech of the gun, and is worked in the shank of the breech, which is ljanged, (instead of being solid, as heretofore,) in order to receive the lever, thus saving the strength ofthe gun-stock by not cutting away as much wood as would be necessary if the shank were left solid and the lever were placed either under it or at one side.` In the center of the lever is a shoulder or enlargement with a hole through it for the screw to pass that holds the breech of the `gun to the stock. This enables the lever to work around said screw on two pivots, one from each tiange, through the side of the shoulder.

The lever is operated by a spring attached to its under side at the rear end, keeping said end ofthe lever up and the drop ill the headpiece down, so that if the needle be accidentally struck by the hammer it would be prevented froni strikingl the cartridge or cap by the drop, which would cover the hole in the head-piece through which the needle m ust pass before it can touch the cap in the cart-ridge, or by applyingl pressure on the thumb-piece at the rear end of the lever, compressing the 4spring at the under side of the lever, thus raising fore end of lever, and with it the drop that is hung to the fore cud. Then when the hammer strikes the needle it is driven through the hole in the breech, and through the hole opposite it in the head-piece, striking the cap in the cartridge in barrel of gun and exploding it.

To secure the drop in the head-piece either down or up at the pleasureot' the person using the gun I place a sliding bolt with a spring at its under side (rear end) and shoulders on the top side (rear end) that lit into notches in the shank' of the breech of the gun. The spring raises the rear end of slide-bolt, throwing the shoulders on the top side of said slide-bolt np into notches in the shank of the breech, holding said slide-bolt so that it does not interfere in the least with lever when being operated, as heretofore described. By pressing the bolt down and sliding it forward it then will t into one of two notches in the rear end of the lever that operates the drop. By removing the pressure from lthe bolt the spring on under side of bolt throws the rear end of the bolt IOO up, the shoulders on top side of bolt fitting into notches in the shank ofthe breech ot' the gun. The lever operati ng the drop in the headpiece will then be bolted either with the drop up, so that the person using the gun can tire and load without using the lever, or with the drop down, covering the holes in the head-piece through which the needle must pass before the cap in cartridge can be exploded, thus making double security against any accidental discharge of the cartridge in the barrel of the gun.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view ot' the stock, breech, and barrels ot' a breech-loading gun, with my safety attachment. Fig. 2 is a top view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the stock and breech ot' a breech-loadin g gun on line :v x in Figs. 2 and 9, showing the position of the safety attachment when the drop between the cap in the cartridge and the hammer or needle is down. Fig. 4 is a similar section, showing the position of' the safety attachment when the drop between the cap in the cartridge and the hammer or needle is up. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the flanged shank ofthe breech on lineg/ y in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line Z Z in Fig. 4, looking toward the barrels, showing the drop up. Fimfis a vertical section through the head-piece on line W W in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a vertical section on line Z Z in Figs. l, 2, and 3, looking toward the barre-ls, showing the drop down. Fig.V 9 is a horizontal section through the safety attachment on line y y in Fig. 4.l Fig. l0 is a vertical section through the breech and barrels in line Z2 Z;l in Fig. S. Fig. 11 is an enlarged drawing of slide-bolt and end ot' lever. Fig. l2 is a top view ot' slidebolt. Fig. 13 is a vertical section through slide-bolt on line x', Fig. 11.

A is the stock of a breech-loading gun. B is the breech. B is the shank ot' the breech, with langes b b. C is a head-piece, with countersunk space c, iu which moves a drop, F, with a guide,f. f is an eye in drop F, into which extends the end ot lever E. c c are .holes through the head-piece to allow the needleL when struck by hammerN to pass through and explode cap 7c in cartridge K in barrel G ot'the gun. Eis a lever working in pivots d d in lianges b b and shoulder e2. D is the breech-screw which secures the breech to the stock of the gun, and around which shoulder e2 works. H is a spring to keep lever E Iand thumb-piece e up. c c' are notches in the end of lever E to allow bolt O to slide in and keep the lever in the position desired. P is a slideway formed in the end of shank B for bolt O to slide in, with notchespp in its anges. r is a spring which holds bolt O in notches pp.

The operation of the device is as follows: When pressure is applied to thumb-piece e lever E is operated on pivots rl d at each side of shoulder c2, and drop F in the head-piece C is raised, allowing needle L when struck by hammer N to pass through hole c in head-piece C onto cap It' in cartridge K in the barrel G of the gun. By removing pressure from the thumbpiccc e, spring H, operatin g on lever E, which works on pivots d d on each side of shoulder c2, lowers drop F in head-piece C, so that when needle L is struck by hammer N it is driven through the hole in the breech of the gun onto drop F in head-piece C, thus preventing needle L striking cap k in the cartridge. By bolt O at the rear end of the shank ofthe breech of the gun the drop can be locked in either position at pleasure of the person using` the gun, as heretofore described.

What I claim isl. The combination ot' a head-piece, O, and the drop F with one or more oi" the guides j', forming a part of the-drop F, said drop being hung to the lever E, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination ot'ahead-piece, C, with the drop F and one or more ot' the guidesf, forming a part of the drop F, said drop being hung to the lever E, which operates on the shoulder c2 as a center by the spring H, and a thumb-piece, e, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

In breech-loading guns, the combination of a head-piece, C, with the drop F, and one or more of the guides j' forming a part ol. the drop F, said drop being hung to the lever E, which operates on the shoulder e? as a center by the spring H, and a thumb-piece, c, the lever E operating in the flanged shank to the breech ot gun B', substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with the drop F and the' lever E, the boltO at rear end ot the lever E, the notches p 19 in tlanged shank ot' gun B', and the spring r, substantially as shown, and for th'e purpose specified.

ROBERT P. DAGGETT.

Witnesses:

J AMES B. Lrzrus, GEO. M. POWELL.

IOO 

